What CD Player?

[Scuba]

OK. I'm going to buy a new CD player for my 1998 dodge ram on Wednesday this week. My budget is $300. What are some good cd plaeyrs to look into? I want it to play MP3s,burnt cds, and have XM or sirius radio. Also I have a crackle and pop noise in my left door speaker. What could this be? Wiring or has the speaker just gone bad and should I replace it? Should I get the same speakers taht are in my truck or soemthing different. I have some stock Infinity speakers in the door. One more question. Is there a difference in Sirius and XM radio? Is one better than the other or offer something the other doesnt?

[COOP964x4]

Look at the Pioneer DEH-P5500.

Should cost you 250 or so.

Plays AM/FM/CD/CD-R/CD-RW/MP-3's/CD Changer control & it's XM ready.

Sounds like your stock speaker is bad.Replace it with something that sounds good to you.

[JfGervase]

Check out item # 3008312216 on E-Bay. About $450.00 worth of equipment for $199.00. XM ready radio but you still have to buy the receiving unit and subscribe. Receiving unit will cost another 125-150 bucks.

[68plyvaliant100]

xm radio is $10 a month but no comercials

[dnewma04]

Make that "limited" commercials.

[Pootus]

do not buy sony car audio. they make excelent home audio but in the car audio department they suck. everyone i have seen has been blown or broken and they will not replace them. i am going with a panasonic and it is a great stereo. panasonics have the least return rate

[dnewma04]

Where did you get the return rate statistics?

[4x4hemi]

Try Alpine. I installed car audio for 6 years and Alpine always out performed anything that I installed, esp. when it came to not skipping and playing a scratched disks. Yea it may cost you a little more but you will be happier in the long run I think.

[the bruiser]

If you haven't bought yet, and want info on MP3 decks, go here: www.highwaymp3.com

[84GreyRam]

I agree with 4x4hemi, get an Alpine-you won't regret it!! I currently have a 7894 installed in my Intrepid and absolutely love it!!!!
The 7894 is last years model so they have a model that replaces it for this year.

It plays mp3s and any kind of cdrs, xm sat. controls, 27x4 rms power, 3-4v preouts-1 front 1 rear 1 sub.

BTW.. it also has a remote and switchable amber/green illumination.

[hondakiller]

i had a sony x plod in my shadow andi loved it. it had great bass and even better sound--especially for the cheap price. the red and black displays take getting used to. in the past, i was all about pioneer; but i think anything alpine kicks butt

[hondakiller]

i installed some pioner speakers in my shadow; they are fine when at a normal level, but when it crank it, they crackle and then the radio shuts off. my friend suggested it might be a loose ground connection, but best buy said it might be the speakers themselves or a loose or improper wire connection. can anyone offer me some insight on this problem, i would greatly appreciate any.

[the bruiser]

For install help, and some troubleshooting advice, check this site: www.installdr.com

[Bagherra]

If you want high SQ you cannot go wrong with Nak. $300 or so will get you a decent model.

Here's an example:

CD-45Z ($325)

I'm sure you can find a few Nak decks on Ebay too.

It may be a little boring as far as display is concerned, but the SQ is among the best for the price.

[Bagherra]

Originally posted by hondakiller
i installed some pioner speakers in my shadow; they are fine when at a normal level, but when it crank it, they crackle and then the radio shuts off. my friend suggested it might be a loose ground connection, but best buy said it might be the speakers themselves or a loose or improper wire connection. can anyone offer me some insight on this problem, i would greatly appreciate any.

Track down to verify that you do not have a ground problem or loose wire somewhere in your install. It sounds like your deck is going into protect mode when it turns off. What kind of deck?

[dusta340]

IT IS PROBLY THE SPEAKE GET OUT THAT OLD VOLT METER AND CHECK THE RESITANCE OF THE SPEAKER IT SHOULD REEAD BETWEEN 3.5 AND 5 OHM IF IT IS LOWER IT WILL MAKE THE INTERNAL AMP SHUT OFFTHAT WILL ANSWER IFF IT IS THE SPEAKERS OR NOT

[dusta340]

ONE MORE THING IS IT A STOCK RADIO IF SO IT IS NOT 4 OHM STABLE AND THAT WOULD BE WHY THE RADIO SHUTS OFF

[JPTEX]

I've never installed aftermarket CD equipment in my vehicles before. They always came equipped from the factory. Just to let you know, I'm from the 8-track generation.....

Any benefit to an in-dash CD player versus going the FM modulated changed route? Seems like if the in-dash can play MP3's, the multi-disc changer becomes somewhat less of a benefit. I like the idea of adding a little extra punch to my existing "painfully" stock system.

Opinion based past experiences?

[Dart_Swinger]

I installed a Pioneer 7400 ($329), sounds great, the adjustablity for the speakers is unreal (there are things to adjust that i don't know what they mean) it allowed me to retain my factory front speakers and get amazing sound out of them, plays mp3's, 50x4 mosfet amp, and that nifty EL display. Alpine is a good choice if you have a low head unit location in the dash, the tilt function will allow you better visiblitiy. Sony's are pieces of crap, can't see the darn things unless your looking directly at it and within a foot. My .02.

Adrian

[Dart_Swinger]

Oh, about the changer/head unit Q. If you want to retain the stock appearance and your not looking for "the best sound" then the FM system is for you. You won't have CD quality sound becuase of the FM transmission. But, they are great for an easy install. Also, you can burn around 150 mp3's on 1 cd and ya figure thats about the equivalent of a 10 disc changer. So i really only have to carry about 2 or 3 cds in my car, quite a convience. So there's a few pros and cons for ya.

Adrian